Pope Leo XIV has appointed a new bishop to the Diocese of Joliet who hails from Texas and one of his first experiences will be knowing what it’s like to drive on icy roads this winter.

Bishop Brendan John Cahill was introduced to the public on Thursday as the new leader of the diocese during a news conference at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet.

Cahill said he learned of his appointment to Joliet last weekend and since then it has been a “whirlwind.” But he said he is excited to arrive at a place “totally new.”

Cahill has lived in Texas all his life and, as such, will experience his first winter in Joliet.

Dennis Spies, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Joliet, said he’s looking forward to Cahill practicing “driving on the ice in the parking lot.”

“And how to control sliding on the ice in the parking lot. So look for us there,” Spies said.

Spies said Cahill has already received a Chicago-area lunch from Portillo’s restaurant to “properly welcome him to our diocese.”

Bishop’s biography

Cahill has served as bishop of the Diocese of Victoria, Texas, since his appointment by Pope Francis in 2015.

He will be the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Joliet, which serves about 500,000 Catholics in DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, Kendall and Will counties.

Cahill’s installation Mass will be scheduled for November.

Cahill was born Nov. 28, 1963, in Coral Gables, Florida. He moved to Houston with his family in 1971, where most of his extended family still lives, according to the Diocese of Joliet website.

He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston on May 19, 1990.

Cahill speaks English, Spanish, and Italian, with a working knowledge of the Latin, French and German languages.

Getting to know Joliet

On Thursday, Cahill said he has past familiarity with Joliet.

“You’re not a stranger to me. I have friends who have worked here. I know Archbishop [Ronald] Hicks. I’ve known the bishops before. I’ve known Joliet for a long time – that it’s a dynamic Catholic environment,” he said.

Cahill said he plans to familiarize himself with the neighborhoods of Joliet, attend community events and participate in interfaith activities with people and leaders of other religions.

“I have learned I’ll be a Bears fan. It’s a good time to be a Bears fan,” he said.

Cahill said he’s not met the pope yet, but he will eventually. Pope Leo grew up in south suburban Dolton, and his brother lives in New Lenox.

“You can’t help but feel a closeness to Pope Leo here,” he said.

Cahill said he looks forward to traveling with Leo’s “home bishops” in Illinois to give a report on their respective dioceses next year.

Mental health programs

Cahill said when he was a priest in Houston, he was part of a coalition that developed a program that partnered faith leaders with licensed counselors.

“We realized in stressful situations that our families encounter … that sometimes what’s presented as a counseling issue may be a spiritual issue, or what’s presented as a spiritual issue could be a counseling issue,” he said.

Cahill said he was involved in another program where police officers received training on mental health.

“I want to support creative programs that can help people through crisis situations and that the church, with the state, can partner together on this,” he said.

Cahill called himself a “joiner.”

“I tend to join organizations and get people together to work,” he said.

Migrant issues

Cahill is the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops subcommittee for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers.

He’s also the chair-elect for the USCCB Committee for Migration, which he says advocates for “just immigration reform” and “care of immigrants who are here right now.”

“We’re trying to work on a very particular issue with, I can say, the temporary protected status that we believe should be extended for the people from Haiti,” Cahill said.

Cahill said he sees a “political responsibility” of addressing politicians to make “just laws” that help the “common good” of society.

He said politics “reflect the culture we live in” and if he’s upset with the culture, then he has to work on changing it to more of a “culture of life.”

“That we respect every human being, every person, that we see their beauty and goodness and we respect them,” Cahill said.

Cahill’s complete biography is available at diojoliet.org.